“In order for this to become a national movement, we needed the help of the press” said Bishop. “We tried to use a gimmick or fad for a good cause by making the shirts cool.”

Bishop and Leventhal partnered with Florida State, Ohio State and Florida Atlantic Universities, in addition to Penn State, to distribute shirts in swing states. Students at 25 other colleges around the country have also bought I DECIDE shirts and organized their own rallies.

With time running out before the election, Bishop and Leventhal switched from sending out t-shirts to organizing a phone bank.

Because many students use cellular phones which are not on national call lists, they have not been contacted by other get-out-the-vote organizations. The founders of I DECIDE figured that by contacting some student voters in swing states, they could then use a “pay it forward” idea to use existing social networks to spread the message.

“This is a very easy thing for people who don’t know what to do for the election but want to do something,” said Bishop. “They just need to make three phone calls and that will plant the seed for getting out the youth vote around the country.” Leventhal added that “if everyone pushes the message forward, one phone call could swing the election.”

Bishop and Leventhal said they want to keep I DECIDE going as an organization that encourages youth involvement in politics after the election but have no concrete plans. They pointed out that voting is just one way for students to get involved and want to encourage other forms of participation.

“There are other opportunities beyond the election to make your voice heard,” said Leventhal. “We want this to continue to promote those opportunities.”